The present invention relates to suspender ends adapted for use in a suspender set and is more particularly concerned with a suspender end formed of an elongated strip of flexible material having a releasable fastening means of two parts on the middle portion of the strip located such that when the elongated strip is folded on a bias over on itself, the two parts of the fastening means are able to engage and securely lock.
Suspenders have been in use for a great number of years, primarily as an article of apparel worn for the purpose of maintaining trousers and the like in their proper position on the wearer's body. In more recent years, a primary use of suspenders has been in conjunction with work clothing, particularly with protective clothing used by firemen and the like such as fire suits, which are generally too bulky and heavy to be comfortably maintained and supported in the proper position on the wearer by a belt or other conventional support means.
A set of suspenders, sometimes referred to as a pair of suspenders, typically comprises two flexible strips of leather, webbing or other suitable material which, when worn and attached to a garment such as a pair of trousers, extend from the front of the waistband of the trousers up the chest of the wearer, over the shoulders where the strips cross and then attach to the waistband at the back of the trousers. It is conventional practice to join the two strips at the point at which they cross by stitching, rivets, and the like. At each end of each strip, there is usually found what is generally termed a suspender end. The function of the suspender end is to provide a means for releasable attachment of each end of the suspender strip to the garment to be supported by the suspender set. The suspender end is typically fixedly attached to the end of the strip of the suspender set and is designed to be releasably engagable with the garment by buttons, clasps, and the like carried either on the suspender end, the garment or both.
Various types of suspender ends are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 180,942 to Sharp discloses a suspender end comprising an elongated strap having button holes at both ends and a longitudinal elongated slot at or near the middle of the strap which is adapted to engage a buckle connection attached to a suspender strip, the slot passing over a tongue provided on the buckle connection. In U.S. Pat. No. 457,448 to Clawson, a suspender end is shown which comprises two elongated straps of leather, webbing or other suitable material, each end of which provided with a button hole for attachment to a garment, the straps adapted to be folded in half about a ring attached to a strip of the suspender set such that each end of the strap coincides. A rivet passes through each folded strap thereby securing the strap to the ring and a slot is provided in a portion of each strap so that the strap may slide relative to the rivet.
In U.S. Pat. No. 726,865 to Clarke, a suspender end is disclosed which consists of an elongated strap having a button at each end. The strap as taught by Clarke is adapted to be folded on the bias at a point where the strap engages a keeper attached to a strip of a suspender set. In U.S. Pat. No. 849,801 to MacWilliam, a suspender end is shown comprising an elongated strap having button holes at each end, the strap adaped to be folded on the bias over a keeper on the suspender set, the suspender end being maintained in that position by a staple passing through both portions of the folded-over strip. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,400 to Cohen, a suspender end formed of a strap of non-elastic webbing folded centrally with two diagonally extending fold which form crossing tabs below the fold line, the strap being held in its folded form by a male snap fastener member adapted to snap into a socket fastener member carried by a strip of the suspender set.
As was stated previously, an important application for suspenders presently is in supporting heavy and bulky work clothing such as fireman's trousers. In such applications, there is considerable wear and stress on the portions of the suspender end which engage the garment. As frequently happens, the suspender end tears or breaks thereby rendering the end unsuitable for further use. It is therefore desirable to provide a suspender end which can be easily replaced rather than replacing the entire suspender set, yet provide sufficient strength for the support of heavy garments.